The Smith and Ragan Instructional Design Model is a comprehensive, systems-oriented framework developed by Patricia L. Smith and Tillman J. Ragan. It is particularly renowned for its detailed focus on instructional strategies rooted in cognitive psychology, unlike many models that are more generalized in this area.
Like the Dick and Carey model, it is systematic and often classified as a prescriptive model, meaning it provides explicit guidance on how to design instruction.
🔑 The Three Main Phases
The Smith and Ragan model is often summarized into three major, interconnected phases, which parallel the core activities of the general ADDIE model:
1. Analysis and Assessment Phase
This phase is the foundation of the entire design process. It emphasizes thoroughly understanding the context, the learners, and the specific skills to be taught.
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Contextual Analysis: Examining the environment in which the instruction will be used (the learning environment) and where the skills will be performed (the performance environment). This includes resources, constraints, and organizational culture.
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Learner Analysis: Identifying and describing the target audience’s characteristics, including stable factors (e.g., age, background) and changing factors (e.g., prior knowledge, current skill level).
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Task Analysis: Breaking down the instructional goal into the specific, detailed steps, knowledge, and skills required for mastery (similar to Dick and Carey’s Instructional Analysis).
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Planning for Assessment: Determining the assessment methods and instruments (like tests or performance checks) that will be used to measure the achievement of the learning goals.
2. Strategy Development
This is where the Smith and Ragan model provides its most granular detail. Drawing heavily on Robert Gagné’s theories of learning (especially the Events of Instruction), this phase focuses on designing the how of the instruction.
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Organizational Strategy: Deciding on the appropriate sequencing and structuring of the content for the lesson or course.
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Delivery Strategy: Determining the instructional media (e.g., online, in-person, video) and the grouping of learners (e.g., individual, small group).
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Management Strategy: Planning for the overall control, scheduling, and allocation of resources for the entire project.
3. Implementation and Evaluation Management
This phase is concerned with producing the materials and assessing their effectiveness for continuous improvement.
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Implementation: Putting the instruction into practice.
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Formative Evaluation: Conducting various tests (e.g., one-to-one, small group, field trials) during development and implementation to gather data for revisions.
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Summative Evaluation: Assessing the final instructional product’s overall effectiveness after implementation to determine its long-term worth.
🆚 Comparison with Dick and Carey
| Feature | Smith and Ragan Model | Dick and Carey Model |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Instructional Strategies (How to teach specific learning types) | Systematic Alignment (Goals → Objectives → Tests) |
| Theoretical Base | Heavily rooted in Cognitive Psychology and Gagné's learning theories. | Rooted in Behaviorism and Systems Theory. |
| Complexity | Presented in 3 main phases with several sub-components. | Presented in 9-10 distinct steps that are highly prescriptive. |
| Key Strength | Provides detailed guidance on specific strategies for different types of learning outcomes. | Provides a robust, logical framework for aligning all instructional components. |
The Smith and Ragan model is highly favored when the instructional designer needs a deep understanding of cognitive processing to develop specialized, effective teaching methods for diverse learning objectives.